Group: Wyoming sage grouse farm received special treatment

Feb. 12, 2018

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — An environmental group contends an oilman's desire to breed sage grouse at his northern Wyoming bird farm found preferential treatment with the U.S. Interior Department.

But oilman Diemer True counters that there was nothing inappropriate about his request for support from the Interior Department for his captive breeding experiment.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports that Western Values Project obtained a series of emails between federal officials and True regarding his proposal.

True's correspondence with the Interior in July coincided with a review of the federal sage grouse management program. The following month, the Interior Department published a report mentioning support for captive breeding.

The True family runs various companies involved in pipelines, exploration and production.